1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to holders for paper towel rolls, and in particular to a holder adapted to dispense a single towel section of the roll at a time.
2. Status of Prior Art
A ubiquitous household artifact is a paper towel roll, for there are numerous practical uses for paper towel sections torn off this roll. A great advantage of a disposable paper towel is that it can be discarded after a single use, whereas the cost of cloth towel is, such that the towel is not disposable and must be cleaned before it can be reused.
A paper towel roll consists of a long band of absorbent paper sheeting wound about a tubular core, usually formed of cardboard. The band is perforated by equi-spaced transverse lines along its length to define a series of interconnected paper towel sections. To withdraw from the roll a single towel section, the leading section must be unwound from the roll and torn off.
In some households, no holder therefor is provided and a paper towel roll is just seated upright on a counter, say in the kitchen, so that it is available for use. In order to tear off a single towel section, the user must pick up the roll, tear off a single towel section and then place the roll back on the counter. This practice has the same drawbacks as are experienced with a roll of toilet paper placed on a counter in a bathroom rather than in a toilet paper holder a far more convenient paper dispenser.
There are two known types of paper towel roll holders for dispensing paper towel sections. In a horizontal holder, which typically is attached to the underside of a kitchen cabinet, the holder consists of a base plate having a pair of arms projecting from its opposite ends. The arms which are flexible are provided with bearings that fit into the ends of the tubular core of the paper towel roll, so that the roll is rotatable on the bearings of the holder. To replace an exhausted roll, one flexes the arms to cause the bearings to enter into the ends of the tubular core of a fresh roll.
In order to separate the leading towel section from a roll supported for rotation in a horizontal holder, the user pulls on this section to unwind it from the roll and then with a wrist snap action, tears this section from the roll.
But a common experience when a user takes this action is for the roll to unwind to dispense several towel sections rather than just the leading towel section. This makes it necessary for the user to rewind the roll. One objection to this practice is that the user's hands are often wet, especially in the kitchen, and should it become necessary for him to rewind the roll, the user in doing so, may wet and possibly soil the rewound sections.
The tendency of a paper towel roll to unduly unwind beyond the point necessary to obtain a single towel section depends on the inertia of the roll. This inertia is greatest when the roll is fresh and has a maximum diameter. Then a force applied to the roll to tear off a towel section will usually not overcome this inertia; hence any further unwinding of the roll will not occur. But as the diameter of the roll diminishes with use, the inertia of the roll is reduced and a point is reached, where a pulling force applied to the advance section of the roll will cause the roll to unwind to dispense several sections of the roll.
Similar problems are experienced with a vertical holder for a paper towel roll, which include a vertical shaft that telescopes into one end of the tubular core of the roll. The paper roll is then rotatable about a vertical axis, and a pulling force intended to dispense a single towel section may cause many more sections to unwind.